A New Take on Spirituality

With the current wellness challenge relating to spirituality, I am certain that many of us had widely varying thoughts about how to approach the task of nourishing that part of ourselves. For some people that focus could relate to formal religious observance while for others it could be exploration of a new paradigm of spirit. But whether structured or not, this portion of our wellness is often neglected when we get busy working, spending time with our family and friends, and the day to day tasks of life.

Within my own paradigm of spirituality, I have been trying to be grateful. It's amazing how easily I generate negative energy in my soul and how easily gratitude seems to remedy that condition. With gratitude comes the companions of awareness and respect, and when those emotions are present I am rarely able to complain with much force. I recall a renowned TV host strongly advocating a journal of gratitude and helping her viewers to get in the habit of seeing the bounty in their lives, so I have taken up that process as well and find that it brings me peace in times of stress.

Within the Young Living world, Gary Young has seen the benefits of gratitude and has formulated an essential oil blend to allow us to get in touch with that part of our being. Furthermore, many other spiritual pursuits can be enhanced with the oil blends in our product offering: Grounding, Forgiveness, Abundance, Acceptance, Clarity, Awaken, Believe, Harmony, Humility, Envision, Magnify Your Purpose, Live With Passion, Hope, Gathering, Peace and Calming, Motivation, Release, Present Time, Transformation, Valor and so many more. Gary is aware of the link between mind and body as well as the power ability of the oils to illicit a reaction that can aid us in our journey. We are so fortunate to have his expertise and the power of therapeutic-grade essential oils literally at our fingertips!

I hope that as employees of Young Living, we all have stories we could share relating to the oils. During yoga classes, I have diffused Bergamot and found it lifts spirits and while bringing a sense of calm. Oils such as Palo Santo and Frankincense have long spiritual histories as cleansing oils and meditative focal points. Cedarwood is another favorite of mine for the woodsy, clear scent it possesses and the way it clears my thoughts. You can bet than any successful distributor in the Young Living family will have a list of oils and experiences relating to those oils, so perhaps we should as well.

So based on your goal toward enhancing your spirit, I challenge you to obtain an oil/oil blend to aid in your efforts. Learn to utilize that oil as a companion in your journey toward a more powerful self. Allow yourself to be healed, fortified, and open to new growth as you move toward total wellness. There are many powerful experiences to be had in this neglected realm, so move beyond what you already do and know to something greater.

I look forward to comments and suggestions from anyone who cares to share in the comments section of the blog. Let's continue to foster a community of wellness where we can grow together!

Random Acts of Kindness

“The best portion of a good man’s life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love.”
—William Wordsworth


I have been very blessed, in my lifetime, to know several great people who have seemingly mastered the so-called random act of kindness. In their quiet and unassuming way, they taught me a great deal about giving and the power it has to nourish the soul. When our recent wellness challenge was to, daily, commit a random act of kindness, my memory immediately went to these individuals and the lessons they taught me.

One good friend of mine, while I lived in California, made it a practice to pay the tolls of random cars when we'd go to San Francisco. We'd often use the approach time to the toll stations to find someone who, on a cursory glance, looked to be in a bad mood. It's amazing how stress and fatigue can show in a person's face! We'd then slip into the stream of traffic, right in front of that person, and pay their toll leaving a simple message, "Tell the person in the blue van to have a nice day." Often, that person would pursue us in an attempt to who we were. It made the trip into town that much more fun and was something he did every time we crossed the bridge.

Another friend of mine loves buying coffee for people in the drive-through at Starbucks. As he pays for his chai, he'll pick up the tab of the car behind him and just drive away. Imagine the surprise of your morning coffee being paid for by a total stranger. I did this one morning during the challenge, with my kids in the back seat, as I explained to them about our challenge. They showed obvious delight after we paid, urging me to hurry so that the recipient of our random act would not be able to see who we were.

During the challenge, I found I was more conscious of things like letting people merge into traffic. This showed that I needed to be more aware as I had much room for improvement in this area. Within a couple of weeks it is amazing how a few little things can become a habit, one that I hope I can continue and nourish in my lifetime. Involving my kids was a great deal of the fun, telling them we were doing things to make some one's day better and to bring a smile to a stranger's face. I tried to do things for people I didn't know, often in situations where I got no feedback, no thank-you wave, no reinforcement other than the feeling that came from being creative and giving.

For some great ideas on how to work with your family and or friends on making "random acts of kindness" a lasting part of your life, check out the resources on http://www.actsofkindness.org/ and look at the great plans and lesson ideas.

Reality, Resolutions, and Results

At the start of the year, it's a natural process to want to set new goals and to have a better year than the last. We tend to be a bit more introspective as we look at the close on one year and the beginning of another, and it's a great opportunity to plan for a strong year and new progress. In reading up on New Year's resolutions, some estimates say that as many as 90% of them go by the wayside before January 31st. As many as 85% of those resolutions are estimated to be health related.

So why are so many people not finding success when setting New Year's resolutions? Here's a few hints that might help you set smarter goals:

1. Make small goals to start. For example, if you want to quit smoking then consider a gradual reduction in the amount of smoking you do rather than quitting cold turkey. Your chances for success are much higher and you can use the small successes along the way to give yourself further momentum! Then eventually, with smaller attainable goals, you can reach the ultimate goal of quitting altogether. Trying to do it all at once may set you up for a failure and not allow you to make progress at a comfortable rate. Also, weight loss goals go better in small doses as well. Start with 5 or 10 pounds, even if your ultimate goal is 40 pounds. A goal to workout twice a week is much easier to attain than five times a week, and you can celebrate the small steps along the way.
   
2. Make your goals quantifiable. Saying, "I want to eat healthier this year," is vague and won't be easily tracked. How can you know how much progress you are making on a goal like this? A more affective goal would be, "I will only eat fast-food one meal a week, instead of 3 times a week."
   
3. Track your progress. Using the previous point as an example, make a tally mark on your calender every time you eat fast food. You can easily see how often you are eating off plan and adjust your behavior accordingly.
4. Enlist a friend. Our new wellness program has us working together as teams to assist in motivation and to bring us all positive energy and support. You may want to set a goal with a friend or significant other, so that you support each other in your endeavors for change. I have a friend who used to text me each day, letting me know she had worked out. I did not ever call her to check up on her but it helped her to know that she had to text me each day and let me know how she was doing. There are also myriad bulletin boards online that foster great community involvement for all kinds of improvement endeavors. These boards allow you anonymity to any degree you choose and can be a great support when you are feeling less than motivated. Conversely, you can be an advocate for the change that you want to initiate in your life and perhaps be stronger in your resolve as you help others toward the same goal.
5. Realize that the life you are leading right now is going to have to change, to some degree or another, to accommodate your new goal. If achieving this goal was going to be simple and quick, you'd probably have already done it. You may have to hang out with different people, go to different places, and change your existing patterns of behavior. So don't sabotage yourself by taking on too many goals at once and expecting to make them all happen.

So no matter what ideas you have toward change in the new year, remember that smaller steps can mean greater results in the end. Allow your success to feed on itself and propel you to great things in the coming year.